Notesonthescene.com
2006
In September 2001, the fbi was busy shooting marijuana supporters while an attack on the us was being carried out. The terrorist attack would be completed just days after two Michigan residents were shot to death by authorities on their rural farm. The world may forever wonder if 911 could have been prevented; stories like the one that follows brew suspicions that it could have been if resources were used in more sensible ways.
When the seige on Rainbow Farm began on August 31, 2001, the media was there in full force to chronicle the fate of two hemp activists who were resisting attempts at their home and dreams being seized by authorities. With echoes of Ruby Ridge and Waco, this was sure to be the story of the year. On 911, however, the Rainbow Farm story was dropped like a hot potato.
Rainbow Farm was a beautiful 50 acre campground in southwest Michigan. The festival grounds swept across several open fields and a serene marsh with winding ribbons of trails through the woods. The Farm boasted a campground, general store, a head shop, a coffee shop, and a venue with many amenities. It operated year-round and hosted plenty of festivals and special events in its short time as a venue. Performers included Merle Haggard, Leftover Salmon, Hypnotic Clambake, Johnny Neal, The David Nelson Band, Tommy Chong, Jack Herer and Steven Gaskin (Saint Steven).
Tom Crosslin owned the Farm and lived there with his life partner Rollie Rohm and Robert Rohm (Rollie’s young son from a prior relationship). Along with hosting inspired events, They had made progress politically towards changing marijuana policy in their state with efforts such as The Personal Rights Amendment.
Scott Teter, a local prosecutor, was angry about the farm’s political stances and worried about the county’s image. He created a special task force for Rainbow Farm, which spent several years and countless thousands of dollars trying unsuccessfully to link the owners, Tom and Rollie, to drug sales. They could not find one employee or contracted vendor selling anything illegal, despite their best efforts. Two of the tactics used by the task force were to harass festival-goers with road-blocks, and to infiltrate the crowd with narcs.
When no drug violations were uncovered, Teter conjured up a tax fraud warrant based around accusations of the Farm paying volunteers cash in exchange for working (including giving people their money back for working one shift in exchange for a ticket/entry). The warrant was executed in the typical violent, humiliating style of a drug raid with heavily armed federal and state police; ‘storm-trooper’ style.
The authorities left behind all of the Farm’s tax files, computers and everything else on the search warrant and looked only for drugs. Some marijuana plants were found; mostly small clones. They were all Scott Teter needed to bring Rainbow Farm down.
Tom and Rollie were arrested for growing marijuana (among other charges) and faced mandatory minimum prison sentences. Robert didn’t come home from school one day. He was placed in foster care by ‘child protective services’. Teter was also trying to seize Rainbow Farm under asset forfeiture laws.
When they realized how bleak their situation was, they made the decision to defend their land and their freedom. If their property was going to be seized, there would be nothing but land left to take. If they were to serve mandatory prison sentences, they would not enter into them gracefully at their court date on August 31. Instead, on 8/31 Tom burned most of the Farm’s structures to the ground, leaving only the house, a chicken coop, and a wooden stage.
A stand-off began which lasted almost six days. The fbi, State Police and military got involved. Police and media flew over the land of the emotionally volatile individuals who were agitated further. Tom and Rollie knew that their lives as free people were over.
Tom and Rollie were shot to death by fbi and State Police snipers on 9/4 and 9/5, respectively. Robert, friends and family were devastated; anger,confusion and paranoia abounded.
Many questions still surround the deaths of Tom and Rollie. Tom was shot through the head by fbi snipers while walking on his own property.
Rollie was killed the next day, after hours of negotiation and his son pleading for dad’s life down the road. A suspisous fire broke out in the farm house after Rollie agreed to surrender. He ran out of the burning house and an armoured state police assault vehicle drove toward him. The police witnesses alleged, just as they did about Tom, that Rollie lifted his gun to fire at authorities, then was shot and killed.
My partner and I drove out to the farm a few days after our friends were killed. We found a 37mm barricade penetrating casing on the roadside that the fbi claims they shot into a window the morning of the fire “to wake
Rollie’s family has since filed a wrongful death lawsuit in a civil case that’s slowly moving through the federal court system. His autopsy report is disturbing, at best.
Killing Tom and Rollie was avoidable. They harmed no one. They were driven to the brink by a biased legal system. A system that had stolen their child and was planning to steal their property and their freedom.
I am aware of the laws regarding drug use, specifically marijuana. I believe that it should be re-legalized for the simple fact that crime and violence would drop dramatically and people like Tom and Rollie would not have to die. People like my father could have had affordable relief from the side effects of cancer treatment and numerous other medical maladies that abound. Farmers and our environment would benefit from its 10,000 other uses. Prisons would be less crowded; they would be open to people who should be there (murderers, rapists and violent criminals.) Drug wars would be virtually gone; gun and gang violence would de-crease. Everyone could benefit from the new tax revenue.
Could 911 be partly blamed on the fact that the fbi and various other government agencies are spending too much time and resources on our failed drug war? With all we spend on protecting this country, how did we have no advance warning? How did this happen here? Could it be that marijuana farmers pose more of a threat than actual terrorists? It is time for Americans to step up and say no to the war on (some) drugs. Legalization means regulation. Prohibition and even decriminalization means no regulation, and regulation means safety.
I see no other solution in order to decrease further unnecessary deaths. People are constantly jailed and killed unjustifiably in the name of the Drug War. The killing of Tom and Rollie were senseless acts that will not further the government’s cause in the long run. This drug war is not a metaphor. It is a war against citizens of this country.